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Tennis Glossary: S
Scoring: Method of tracking progress of a match. *'Scratch:' Withdrawal from a match due to an injury. *'Second serve:' Second and final of the two serve attempts a player is allowed at the beginning of a point, not counting net cord let serves that would otherwise be good. *'Second snap:' a tennis ball struck for top spin against lubricated or co-poly strings will get extra rotation on the ball from the mains popping back in position before the ball leaves contact with the racket. *'Seed:' Player whose position in a tournament has been arranged based on his/her ranking so as not to meet other ranking players in the early rounds of play. *'Serve:' The starting stroke of each point. The ball must be hit into the opponent's service box, specifically the box's half that is diagonally opposite the server. *'Service box:' Rectangular area of the court, marked by the sidelines and the service lines, that a serve is supposed to land in. *'Service game:' With regard to a player, the game in which the player is serving. *'Service line:' A line that runs parallel to the net at a distance of 21 ft (6.4m) and forms part of the demarcation of the service box. *'Serve and volley:' Method of play to serve and immediately move forward to the net to make a volley with the intent to hit a winner and end the point. *'Set:' A unit of scoring. A set consists of games and the first player to win six games with a two-game advantage wins the set. *'Set point:' Situation in which the player who is leading needs one more point to win a set. If the player is serving in such a situation, (s)he is said to be "serving for the set". *'Shank:' Significantly misdirected shot, the result of hitting the ball in an unintentional manner, typically with the frame of the racket. *'Singles:' Match played by two players, one on each side of the court. A singles court is narrower than a doubles court and is bounded by the inner sidelines and the baseline. *'Singles sticks (or net sticks):' Pair of poles which are placed underneath the net near the singles Sideline for the purpose of raising it for singles play. *'Sitter:' Shot which is hit with very little pace and no spin, which bounces high after landing, thus being an easy shot to put away. *'Sledgehammer:' Two-handed backhand winner down the line. *'Slice:' Shot with underspin (backspin), or a serve with sidespin. *'Smash:' Strongly hit overhead, typically executed when the player who hits the shot is very close to the net and can therefore hit the ball nearly vertically, often so that it bounces into the stands, making it unreturnable. *'Spank:' To hit a groundstroke flat with a lot of pace. *'Spin:' Rotation of the ball as it moves through the air, affecting its trajectory and bounce. *'Split step:' A footwork technique in which a player does a small bounce on both feet, just as the opponent hits the ball. This lets the player go more quickly in either direction. *'Spot serving/spot server:' Serving with precision, resulting in the ball landing either on or near the intersection of the center service line and service line or singles tramline and service line. *'Squash shot:' Forehand or backhand shot typically hit on the run from a defensive position, either with slice, or from behind the player's stance. *'Stance:' The way a player stands when hitting the ball *'Stick Volley:' Volley hit crisply, resulting in shot with a sharp downward trajectory. *'Stiffness (or racket stiffness):' The resistance of the racket to bending upon impact with the ball. *'Stop Volley:' A softly-hit volley which absorbs almost all the power of the shot resulting in the ball dropping just over the net. *'Stopper:' Player who will not win or go deep in a tournament but is good enough to stop a top seed from advancing. *'Straight sets:' Situation in which the winner of a match does not lose a set. *'Strings:' Material woven through the face of the racket. The strings are where contact with the ball is supposed to be made. *'String saver:' Tiny piece of plastic that is sometimes inserted where the strings cross, to prevent the strings from abrading each other and prematurely breaking. *'Stroke:' Striking of the ball. *'Sudden death tiebreak:' Version of the tiebreak played as the best of nine points, with the last being a deciding point to clinch the set. *'Super tiebreak:' A tiebreak variation played to ten points instead of seven; usually uses in double to decide a match instead of playing a third set. *'Sweetspot:' Central area of the racket head which is the best location, in terms of control and power, for making contact with the ball. Category:Tennis